On Sept 27, 2023, Professor of Systematic Theology, Dr Peter Bouteneff, gave a lecture at Seoul National University, South Korea, entitled The Orthodox Church: Its Teaching, Ethos, and Art.
Dr Bouteneff was invited by the Center for Religious Studies at Seoul National University, which is South Korea’s leading institution of higher learning. This three-hour lecture provided an introduction to the Orthodox Church for students and faculty engaged in Christian studies, and featured a lively question-and-answer period.
The lecture was also attended by His Eminence Metropolitan Ambrosios, Fr Antonios Lim, and Dr Eleni Cho of the Eastern Orthodox Metropolis of Korea. Dr Cho provided consecutive interpretation from English to Korean. After the event, Prof. Bouteneff— joined by his wife Dr Patricia Bouteneff, and daughter Elizabeth (currently living in Daejeon, South Korea)—were invited to St Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral in Seoul for a tour of the new iconography and the extensive missionary work of this diocese, which includes an active press that publishes Orthodox Christian literature in Korean. They were also able to discuss many issues of Orthodox Christian mission and education.
In reflecting on his experience lecturing and meeting with Orthodox Church leaders in South Korea, Dr Bouteneff remarked, “It was an unforgettable day. I found the University students and faculty to be deeply engaged and interested. Afterward, I was very deeply impressed by the extensive missionary work of the Metropolis of Korea under the guidance of His Eminence Metropolitan Ambrosius."
